2026 So Far
The Play Review
Hosts Douglas Shotz and Jodie Rylett provide a comprehensive roundup of theatrical productions seen during the first two months of 2026. The
Key takeaways
- Robert Aramayo and Rosie Sheehy deliver powerful performances in 'Guess How Much I/Love You?' at the Royal Court.
- Michael Sheen leads a production of 'Our Town' at the Rose Theatre featuring a unique Welsh linguistic twist.
Main topics
- Royal Court reviews
- Rose Theatre productions
Notable quotes
I couldn't catch my breath at one point in terms of just waiting for what you knew was the case to be confirmed to you.
Conclusion
A valuable guide for theatre-goers seeking emotionally resonant and in
Transcript preview
Speaker 1 (0:05) Hello and welcome to The Play Review with me, Douglas Shotz. And Speaker 2 (0:09) me, Jodie Rylett. Speaker 1 (0:17) Hello, Jodie. Speaker 2 (0:18) Hello, Douglas. Speaker 1 (0:19) Lovely to see you. Speaker 2 (0:20) You too. So Speaker 1 (0:22) I thought that we could do a quick roundup of what we've seen so far in the first two months of this year. I've enjoyed a number of stimulating shows already, and I'd be interested to compare notes on some of these and anything else that you'd recommend. Speaker 2 (0:34) Absolutely. Let's go. Speaker 1 (0:36) Okay. First off, guess how much I love you at the Royal Court, which unfortunately has now finished its short run there. which was completely sold out, I believe. Speaker 2 (0:47) Yeah, I think so. Speaker 1 (0:48) Though I wouldn't be surprised if it transferred at some point because it received fantastic reviews for the play and the performances. And to add to that luster... The cast includes Robert Aramayo, who has just won the BAFTA Best Actor Award for his extraordinary performance as John Davidson, who suffers from Tourette's Syndrome in the film I Swear. That is an astounding performance, by the way, if you haven't seen it, and I highly recommend the film. You wouldn't know it was the same actor when you see him on stage here in this play. In fact, Guess How Much I Love You is essentially a two-hander with Aramayo, joined by the wonderful Rosie Sheehy. as a couple who suffer the terrible trauma of a pregnancy that does not go as they would have hoped. This is a new play written by actor Luke Norris and directed by Jeremy Herron, who has previous form with trauma, having directed People, Places and Things. Now, I know that you've been known to cry at emotional scenes in the theatre, Jodie, and I did warn you about this play, didn't I? You did. So were you overcome by this? Speaker 2 (1:51) I was, and I mean... Pretty sure every single person who was in that theatre also were overcome. I couldn't catch my breath at one point in terms of just waiting for what you knew was the case to be confirmed to you. Speaker 1 (2:07) Yeah. Speaker 2 (2:08) Almost suddenly caught myself not breathing, so I took a breath. But yes, it was incredibly moving, both in the storytelling, but in their performances. Rosie Sheehy is something else. Speaker 1 (2:20) Yes, she is, isn't she? She's so relentlessly raw and brave. It's like she has no skin to filter her nerves and anger and grief. She's just astonishing. She's been exceptional in everything I've seen her do. She was brilliant in Mackinac at the Old Vic and in Romeo and Juliet, the National, I thought. And Robert Aramayo was a very good foil. So different, so grounded on the surface, but suffering as well, of course. And they were very good at the everyday stress, I think, that would afflict a couple that have to live together after trauma, each carrying their own private responses. Speaker 2 (2:58) Yeah. Speaker 1 (2:59) There's a shattering theatrical moment in the middle of the play when they find themselves dancing slowly in this hospital room, just astoundingly moving and beautifully staged. Speaker 2 (3:13) It really was. And it was so intimate. That's why I think I found it so difficult to catch my breath. How, you know, you can project that pain of what they were going through with that pregnancy and the choices that they had to make. I did feel uncomfortably like I was in the room with them. And I'm not sure how I felt about that afterwards. Did I think having that kind of served up as entertainment was okay? There was something off for me about how raw and brutal that was. Do Speaker 1 (3:48) you not think those sort of stories need telling? Speaker 2 (3:50) Yeah, they do. And inviting people into that pain with an actress like Rosie Sheehy, who can really handle that with such honesty, it's in as safe hands as it can possibly be. But it was so very deeply affecting. I don't know. There was just something about it. Is this gratuitous? Am I being manipulated to feel this awful thing? Speaker 1 (4:14) It's very sensitively done. It Speaker 2 (4:16) is. And Speaker 1 (4:17) very well observed, beautifully performed. By the way, the title actually refers to a classic children's book, Guess How Much I Love You, which I remember reading to my own children. And that added an extra element to it because the book is full of love. And in this case, the reference has both, I suppose, a kind of bleak irony, but also perhaps offers some hope in the end in the play. Speaker 2 (4:41) Yeah. It Speaker 1 (4:42) is very tough watch. There's no doubt about it. And there were many people deeply affected when I was there as well. In fact, I was chatting to a woman sitting next to me before the curtain. And I was saying that unusually for me, I didn't know anything about what was to come in this play. I deliberately not read. about it beforehand. And she said she did, but regardless, she was in bits throughout. I was very aware of that. And at the end, I said to her that I had nearly reached out to give her a hug. I didn't, because one doesn't really do that. But I felt for her, her pain as she was feeling the pain she was witnessing. And I imagine that it could be very triggering for anyone who has had any experience of what this couple goes through. Speaker 2 (5:23) And as you say, it was handled with such care. Speaker 1 (5:26) Yeah, it was devastating nonetheless. But I would highly recommend you do see it if it does reappear. It is deeply moving and memorable. So what about your first choice of 2026 so far? Speaker 2 (5:40) To talk about would be Our Town by Thornton Wilder, which is on currently at the Rose Theatre, starring the wonderful Michael Sheen in his first big venture of his. voyage into re-establishing